While it's impossible to predict what government enforcement officials are currently working on, the trends from 2018 provide strong guidance for planning compliance efforts in 2019. In fact, 2018 was another busy year for the Department of Justice (the DOJ) and the Office of the Inspector General for Health and Human Services (the OIG). The following are some notable enforcement trends that may be helpful in planning your 2019 compliance initiatives.

HHS Secretary Alex Azar recently announced efforts by HHS to reduce the regulatory burden on health care providers created by electronic health records systems (EHR). In December of 2016, Congress enacted the 21st Century Cures Act (the Act). Among the many initiatives included in the Act, Congress recognized the significant regulatory and administrative burdens related to the use of EHRs and other electronic health IT systems. In response, the Act emphasized the importance of reducing those burdens and specifically mandated that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) develop a strategy and provide recommendations to accomplish that goal.